Tears of a Bride
by BoardingBensidy
Summary: After a tragedy, Olivia moves to a small town in hopes of forgetting it all. What she discovers when she gets there might just change her life again; for the better.
1. Chapter 1

Roseville, Tennessee was a small town compared to New York and Olivia didn't know how she was going to get used to this. She didn't think she ever would. Leaving New York was one of the hardest things she had ever done but she knew it was for the better. As she packed in the last box she closed the door to the cabin behind her and sat the box along with the others. She stood in the middle of her new house and looked around, sighing at how lonely she felt. It was times like this that she really missed Brian. It's why she had to leave. Everything in New York reminded her of Brian and now that he was gone... she couldn't do it. It was time for her to leave New York and start again; if that was possible.

Before she could get too deep into her thoughts, Chocolate came trotting into the living room. Olivia figured he had been checking out the house and finding new favorite spots to lounge in. Chocolate was a Yorkie Poo and as much as Olivia never wanted a dog before, she liked the company now.

"Hey, buddy," she said as she bent over and scooped the small dog up, scratching her behind the ears, "do you like the new place?"

Chocolate began panting as Olivia scratched his favorite places. "I'll take that as a yes." Olivia carried Chocolate over to the couch that had just been sat in the middle of the room by the movers. She plopped down onto it and lifted her feet up. It was the first time she had rested in three days. Chocolate curled up onto her stomach and Olivia closed her eyes. She really didn't know what she was doing anymore. She was almost asleep when Chocolate jumped off of her lap and started barking at the door.

"You just went potty," Olivia grumbled. She was tempted to just close her eyes and wait to let Chocolate out until the morning but then the rumble of thunder hit. She didn't want Chocolate tracking muddy footprints in the house on the first day. "Alright," she mumbled as she got up and opened the door. She stood on the porch and watched as Chocolate did her business and ten came running back in, shaking his wet fur and ridding it of any raindrops that had gotten on him. Olivia sighed. She had no idea where the box was that the towels were in so she had nothing to clean up the mess with. She didn't even know which box her blankets were in.So far, this move wasn't going well.

Olivia made her way over to the pile of boxes and began opening them, sitting them in the proper rooms. She found two boxes of dishes and carried them into the kitchen. She would put them away for tomorrow but at least she would be able to find her blankets and pajamas. By the time she had opened most of her boxes she was exhausted and she still didn't find her blankets. She was down to two boxes and she knew with her luck it would be the last one. She picked the last box up and placed it on the counter and untapped it. Sure enough, there were her blankets. She took her comforter out of the box and carried it to the couch, wrapping herself inside of it and lying down. She had a long day tomorrow because she had to finish unpacking and find a store nearby so she could get groceries. She also had to check into buying a car because transportation in Roseville was nothing like it was in New York.

"Goodnight, Choco," Olivia said to the dog before closing her eyes, "goodnight, Brian. I love you." It had been her ritual ever since Brian had died. She wasn't able to sleep if she didn't tell him goodnight and that she loved him. Somehow she knew that he was still with her. She only wished that she could see him one last time. She just wanted to touch him... to kiss him. Olivia forced the sad thoughts out of her mind and let the exhaustion take over her body as she fell into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Olivia woke up to sloppy dog kisses on her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw that the sun was up and it looked like a nice day outside. The rain must have let up sometime in the early morning. "I'm up," Olivia smiled as she thew her cover off of her and went into the kitchen to fill Chocolate's bowl with food. "Eat up." Olivia was hungry herself but she hadn't brought any food with her and she needed to start putting things away now or it would never get done. Since she was already in the kitchen she began unpacking the dishes and placing them in cabinets. Next she moved onto her bedroom and began unfolding her clothes and hanging them in the closet. Everything was going normal until she came across one of Brian's old flannel button ups. She held the soft fabric in her hand before bringing it to her nose and inhaling his scent. She closed her eyes tight, fighting to keep the tears at bay. It wasn't working. Olivia put the shirt on over her own shirt and left it unbuttoned, using it as a jacket. It was chilly outside anyway so she would need one for her walk to the store.

Around two o'clock, Olivia finally had most of her things unpacked and was finally making her way to a market she had read about that was just a few blocks away. The wind was blowing at a nice breeze and the sun seemed to touch her skin in a way it hadn't before. In New York it was always the pollution that got the sun's beams first.

Olivia was so lost in thought as she looked around at all the new scenery that she didn't even see that she was about to run into somebody. "I'm so sorry!" Olivia apologized frantically at the tall man wearing black rimmed glasses. She looked into his eyes and suddenly she had a funny feeling in her stomach. She wasn't sure what it was.

"It's okay," the man said in a deep voice as he stood up straight. He wasn't trying to follow Olivia as she walked away but it looked like they were going to the same pace. "I come here every Friday," the man said as he caught up to Olivia again to open the door for her. "My name's Mark."

"Uh, Olivia."

"So you're new here, right?"

Olivia knew that Mark was just trying to be nice but this was the last thing she needed right now. "Yeah," she replied as she took interest into the food on the shelves, "just got here last night actually."

Mark nodded, "It was nice meeting you, Olivia." Mark stuck his hand out and hoped for a handshake but Olivia turned him down. "Well, see you around."

Mark left and Olivia sighed as she went back to what she went to the market for in the first place; groceries.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you guys for the reviews and follows. It is much appreciated. I am looking for a BETA so if anyone would like to be one, let me know! Thanks again.**

With noodles boiling on the stove to make Alfredo, Olivia was sitting on the couch staring ahead at the light tan color of the wall in front of her. The cable company wouldn't be to her house for another three days so she was stuck bearing the silence the house had to offer. As she sat on the couch she let her eyes roam to the picture of her and Brian that was hanging on the wall just to her left. They were being silly together and she had decided to take a selfie. Brian had ended up kissing her cheek at the last second causing the photo to turn out perfectly.

Olivia smiled but it quickly melted away when she realized that she would never smile like that again. That day took everything out of her and she kept reliving it.

_"You're going to be late," Nick said to her as he walked into her office, "Brian's probably already waiting."_

_ Olivia looked up from the paperwork she was scribbling on and gave him a small smile. "Probably not. I'm almost done." She scribbled another word before dropping her pen and placing the paper into a neat stack on the corner of her desk._

_ "Have a good time, Liv," Nick said as he grabbed her jacket off the coat hanger and helped her put it on._

_ "Thanks. See ya'." _

_ Olivia had just stepped out of her office when her desk phone started ringing. She stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes, fighting herself to keep walking and not turn around to answer it. She lost the battle and turned around to pick up the phone. "Manhattan Special Victims Unit, this is Sergeant Benson."_

_ "Olivia..."_

_ Olivia squinted as she tried to recognize the voice on the other line. It took her moment but she eventually made it out to be Jason, Brian's partner at IA. "Jason, what's going on?" Already Olivia had a bad feeling._

_ "There was an accident."_

_ Olivia looked over to Nick who was now sitting in a chair in front of her desk. He gave her a wondering look._

_ "What kind of an accident?"_

_ "Brian went undercover tonight and he was made out. We weren't able to get there in time and he was shot. He's at Mercy and they rushed him into surgery. I called you as soon as I could."_

_ Olivia felt all of the air rush out of her body as the phone slipped out of her hand. The world seemed to stop and for a moment she forgot how to breathe. Water filled her eyes._

_ "Liv? Liv, what's wrong?" Nick was on his feet in a matter of seconds and at her side._

_ "Brian was shot," she whispered, "I-I need to get to the hospital."_

_Nick nodded, "I'll take you," he said seeing her distress. He followed her outside and into the parking garage before turning the sirens on and speeding off, needing to get Olivia to the hospital before something awful happened. He wouldn't know what to do if Brian died. He didn't know what Olivia would do. They were finally happy and things were going their way, why was this happening? Nick didn't understand._

_ When Nick pulled up in front of the hospital Olivia hopped out before the car was even in park. She rushed to the front desk with fear finally over taking her other emotions. "Sergeant Benson," she said frantically as she flashed her badge, "can you tell me anything about Brian Cassidy?"_

_ The receptionist was an elder lady with the wrinkles to show off how many years she had been alive. She was fairly slowly at typing so Olivia tapped on the counter to show her annoyance. "He's been taken to surgery," the lady finally said, "three GSW's." _

_ Olivia felt another blow to the gut at that. Three shots? Where was his backup? Who was suppose to be on standby in case the operation went south? "Three?"_

_ The lady nodded. "I'll have the surgeon know you're here for him. In the meantime there's a waiting room right over there." She pointed to a small room that only had one other person in it, Jason. Olivia walked over to him with her tears threatening to spill._

_ "How did it happen?" she asked in a whisper._

_ Jason shook his hand and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "His wire went dead and we couldn't locate him. By the time we found him... he had already been shot three times."_

_ Olivia ran a hand through her hair as Nick came up beside her. "Any news?"_

_ Olivia shook her head no. "He was shot three times..." She turned to look at her partner and close friend as her tears finally flooded her cheeks. "W-what am I going to do? What if he doesn't- oh god."_

_ Nick took Olivia into his arms and soothingly rubbed her back, "he'll make it. He will, Liv."_

As the harsh sound of boiling water filled Olivia's ears she pushed the memory out of her head before it could get any worse. She pushed herself off the couch and made her way into the kitchen where she turned the burner off and moved the pan to one that hadn't been used. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore.

"Chocolate!" Olivia called before filling his bowl with more dog food. She forced a small smile onto her face as Chocolate trotted up to his bowl and began chowing on his dinner. Olivia scratched behind his ears and then let him be. He was the only man in her life now and she loved him to pieces.

With nothing else to do and being bored out of her mind, Olivia decided to take a small walk outside. She grabbed her favorite gray hoodie and slipped it on before putting her shoes on and heading outside. Her cabin was just on the outskirts of Roseville and trees surrounded her. Too many trees. She made a disgusted face at that. This was way different than New York. At least out here one could see the stars. Olivia looked up at the millions of twinkling lights in the sky. The stars gave her a sense of comfort like somehow everything would end up okay. She knew it was silly so she sighed quietly and headed back in. It was getting too cold out anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia had been living in the cabin for a week now and with all of her spare time she had managed to unpack all of the boxes and even hang up all of her pictures. Her bed had been put together in room so she was no longer sleeping on the couch and the cable had finally been hooked up so she had something other than cleaning to occupy her time. Olivia was sitting on her couch flipping through the channels with Chocolate laying on her lap when her cell phone rang. She didn't have too many people calling her these days so she wondered who it could be. Digging through her purse she found her phone and saw that it was Nick.

"Hey, Nick," she answered with a smile. It was wonderful to hear a familiar voice.

"Hey," he replied, "I know this is kind of last minute but Fin and I are headed to Roseville to work on a case with the Roseville Police. We need a place to stay and if it's okay with you..."

Olivia's smile grew bigger. Even though she had only been gone for a week she had missed her friends terribly. "You don't even have to ask! When are you coming?"

"Tomorrow."

"Perfect," Olivia said, "I'll make a big dinner." They talked for a little while longer about how Olivia had settled in and how she liked the town and then they said their goodbyes. "We're going to have company this weekend," she said to Chocolate as she began rubbing his ears. Chocolate sat up and started panting with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. "I'm excited, too."

Olivia scooted Chocolate off of her lap and got up to head to the kitchen and see what she would need to get at the store to make a big dinner for herself, Nick, and Fin. She was thinking of making roast chicken with fried rice and mashed potatoes. She didn't have anything that she needed so a trip to the store was definitely in order. The only problem with that was that it was raining and carrying groceries in the rain would not be fun. She got over the fact that she would get wet though and put on a light rain jacket with a hood and some of her old black work boots. She made sure she had her money in her pocket and then gave Chocolate a quick ear rub before leaving.

Since this was only her second trip to the store she wasn't familiar with where everything was yet. She had to walk up and down every aisle in order to find what she was looking for. While looking at the shelves trying to find the right kind of rice, she noticed a familiar figure approaching her. She looked up and saw Mark trying to pretend he was interesting in shopping. Olivia kept quiet though and kept her eyes focused on the different rice types. Who knew there could be so many.

"So," Mark started, "I noticed you're pretty wet. You didn't walk here, did you?"

Olivia looked at up and nodded, "I don't have a car so walking was my only option."

"The rain has picked up a lot," he added, "I could give you a ride a home."

Olivia didn't want to lead this guy on or anything but she could hear the rain beating down on the roof and she really didn't want to walk in that while carrying her bag of groceries. "That would actually be really nice," she said, "I just need to grab a few more things."

"Take your time," he added as he flashed her a smile.

When Olivia had finished her shopping she got in line at a cash register and Mark got in line behind her. They made small chat while waiting and Olivia was really hoping this guy was a psychopath.

"Daddy! Daddy! Can we get some chips? Pleeease!" A small boy about the the age of six or seven had ran up to Mark and tugged on his shirt while carrying a large bag of chips in his free hand. Mark smiled at the boy, "Sure, bud. This is Olivia."

"Hi," the boy waved.

"Olivia, this is my son, Jacob."

"Hi," Olivia smiled, then she turned back to Mark, "you never mentioned having any kids."

Mark shrugged, "you don't really start a conversation with a lady about having a child."

Olivia chuckled but then starting feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't looking for a boyfriend. She had lost Brian only six months ago and she couldn't picture herself dating anyone ever again. She loved Brian with her whole heart and when he died... a part of her died with him.

"Um, I wasn't trying to... lead you on or anything," Olivia said awkwardly, "I'm just not ready for a relationship. My boyfriend... I really loved him and he... he uh, died not that long ago. I'm sorry I-"

"We're just friends," Mark smiled, "I know what it's like to lose the one you love. My wife died of cancer last year and when I saw that you were new in town I figured you could use a friend. Everyone needs a friend."

Olivia felt relieved. Mark was such a gentleman and his little boy was just adorable. Before long Olivia was back at her house and she waved goodbye to Mark and Jacob and thanked them for the ride. Now when Nick and Fin questioned her about if she had any friends yet she could honestly say she did and that brought a smile to her face.

Meanwhile in New York, Fin and Nick were finishing up some paperwork before heading to the airport for their flight.

"You have the ring and the letter right?" Nick questioned.

"Wouldn't forget it," Fin said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box with a sacred ring inside.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," Nick thought out loud, "Olivia is just starting to move on and this is going to really tear her up."

"It's what Brian wanted," Fin reminded him, "and Olivia will be upset but she needs this."

Nick sighed and scribbled his signature on a case file before putting it away and turning off his desk lamp. This weekend was going to be tough for all of them.

** A ring? What? I don't know, keep reading to find out.**


End file.
